Amanda Malpas, 34, is charged with chemical endangerment of a child resulting in death after she was arrested by the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday. Malpas is said to be a regular drug user, and continued to take heroin and methamphetamine despite being pregnant. 

“She admitted that when she felt the labor pains and felt the child breaching, she did self-administer a large dose of heroin,” said Sgt. Mark Bailey.

When paramedics arrived at the scene of her West Mobile home, Malpas still had the needle in her arm. “[Amnda] was holding her child, a newly born baby that was struggling to breathe, that was barely conscious,” Bailey said.

Both Malpas and the baby were taken to hospital, where the child was pronounced dead a short while later. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office said the charges against Malpas may be upgraded to murder, pending the results of a toxicology report.

Source – NewsWeek